"This is my laboratory of emotions.My (immense) workshop."JOÃO MARIANO, IN THE BOOK LUGARES POUCO COMUNS

ABOUT

A tribute to the most southwesterly point of Portugal, within the confines of the Old Continent, is a significant testimonial to the last decade of the 20th century. A time that is still near but simultaneously very far away, which is exclusively documented with rolls of film.

«(…) lost count on how many books I have already read. But I assure you that after having read thousands of them, I have recently discovered THE one, the one that could be one of the best book´s I’ve ever read in my life.(…) the photographer João Mariano, together with the barnacle gatherers, descended into hell (…) and put together one of the most extraordinary reports I've ever come across.»

Hélder Pacheco, jornal de notícias, 1st October 1998 – referring to the book Guerreiros do Mar

«... life at sea is very dramatic» says João Mariano, and his photographs are the perfect setting for this tragedy. (...)»

«In Trabalho de Fundo, João Mariano documents, in a set of imagesof extreme quality, the activity of the seaweed collectors on the Portuguese coast. (...) manipulating the notion of time, distending it in images of great visual impact, where the forms dilute or crystallise in the magmatic grey of the sea ... (...)»

Ana Ruivo, semanário Expresso, 8th December 2001 – referring to the book Trabalho de Fundo

«(...) it is not easy to understand the emotions when they erupt with this violence and at the same time this peace that we believed was removed from the universe. But we also don’t need to understand: just the demand forpermanent availability to the fascination and enchantment. João's photographs are more than a portrait of an art and a culture: privileges can be shared this way - without words or sounds. (...)»

«João is part of a generation of photographer’s that have greatly contributed to open paths, to clear the way with humility, and at the same time with a fighting spirit, the area of contemporary photography in Portugal, to differentiate from facilitations and walls of fame. This is a generation of gold that shines on its own merit. João has this gift for making us see what has always been right in front of us, but through his approach and register, sends us to other imaginary worlds, that are far beyond the evidence of what we can see. (...) João Mariano is the right fish in the right aquarium, and his aquarium of choice is the Algarve. (...)»

José Soudo, Professor of photography and history of photography, January 2014 – Extract of written text for the project “O Conhecido Desconhecido”

JOÃO MARIANO

AUTHOR

During the last few years I have devoted a special attention to the Southwest of Portugal, mainly the Costa Vicentina area and have published several books about this region: Guerreiros do Mar, 1998; Lugares Pouco Comuns, 2000; Trabalho_de_Fundo, 2001; Alambiques & Alquimistas, 2007...... in the same line of work the book Mariscadores | Ria de Alvorwas published in 2010: stories of a place, a long project on the shellfish gatherers of the Ria de Alvor. My latest project is called O ConhecidoDesconhecido and it is a very personal approach to the Lagoa coast ...

... in addition to the projects listed above I have several other studies and projects that have been exhibited and edited a little bit everywhere.

EDITOR

The Mar d'Estórias is an innovative space that values everything that is Portuguese, with special emphasis on the Algarve. The aim is to absorb the national culture and tradition, where the taste of cuisine, the inspiration of the events gallery, of the excellence of genuine Portuguese products and the identity of the Portuguese people are all gathered within the same physical space. It is a project whose main objective is commercial, but which also aims to highlight the best of what is done in our country, and in our region, providing a stage for national artists and especially for the local ones.

It is with this line of thought that Mar d’Estórias became involved, as editor, in the book Costa do Mar by João Mariano, who, with his great passion for Costa Vicentina, reveals this corner of the Algarve, which is so unique and special.